This invention relates to conveying an interactive audiovisual work to a user seamlessly Particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of creating and conveying an interactive audiovisual work with improved reality so that a user in front of a display screen feels as if the user directly communicated with a real world in the display screen.
1. Prior Art
In order to reduce labor cost, improve working condition of an operator, or attract people""s attention to new services and entertainment, interactive technology and apparatus have been developed. An interactive apparatus is designed to respond to a user in a predetermined way, such as, with predetermined image, sound, or operations. Conventional virtual reality (VR) technology creates an operator""s image by computer graphics (CG) technology and stores the image in a file. In response to user input, an interactive apparatus displays the operator""s image on a display screen as if an operator directly responded to a user.
Another example is an interactive audiovisual apparatus which stores plural patterns of video data of scenery and which selects and fetches the stored video data in response to user input so that a user in front of a display screen feels as if he or she were strolling in a real scenery. People can experience virtual reality by the VR technology and the above apparatus.
However, since the VR technology uses images created by CG, there is a limitation of the expression and fineness of the images due to the calculation capability of a computer and therefore the reality of the images is not so well.
On the other hand, since it is difficult for the interactive audiovisual apparatus to create and connect moving pictures seamlessly and quickly in order to respond to user input, the apparatus""s response to user input is slow and lacks of reality.
2. Objects of the Invention
It is an objective of this invention to improve the reality of an interactive audiovisual work.
It is another objective of this invention to provide an apparatus for and a method of creating and conveying an interactive audiovisual work to a user in response to user input with improved reality of moving picture images.
It is another objective of this invention to provide an apparatus for and a method of creating and conveying an interactive audiovisual work to a user in response to user input by connecting streams of moving picture images seamlessly and quickly
In one embodiment of the invention, an interactive audiovisual work is divided into plural streams of motion picture image and audio data. There is provided selection means for, in response to user input, selecting a subsequent stream of moving picture image and audio data of which starting scene is substantially similar to the ending scene of a precedent stream of moving picture image and audio data.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an Associated Table in which relationship between streams is stored, means for, in response to user""s input, selecting, based on the Associated Table, one of the streams of which starting scene is substantially similar to the end scene of a precedent stream, and means for conveying the selected stream subsequently to the precedent stream to a user.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a timing information to start the retrieval of a subsequent stream in order to quickly respond to user input.